Effect of fine aggregate replacement with expanded perlite and pumice on the development of lightweight concrete

ABSTRACT In the present study, an attempt has been made to produce lightweight concrete (LWC) by replacing fine aggregates with expanded perlite and pumice. The first set of LWC is prepared by replacing the fine aggregates with expanded perlite at varying proportions, i.e. 0%, 25%, 50%, and 100%. The second set of the mix is prepared to study the effect of replacement of natural sand with equal proportionality of dual particles (expanded perlite and pumice). The replacement of fine aggregate with lightweight aggregates (expanded perlite and pumice) efficiently developed the LWC based on the density specified by Eurocode 2 Part 1–1 (density < 2200 kg/m3). The incorporation of expanded perlite efficiently brought down the density of developed LWC lower than 2200 kg/m3. However, the density of the mix prepared using expanded perlite and pumice exhibited slightly greater than the density of only expanded perlite contained LWC. The incorporation of pumice in the LWC imparts the pozzolanic reactivity and shows better strength and durability properties than the only expanded perlite contained LWC. Furthermore, the microstructure properties revealed that the presence of porous lightweight material unable to improve the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) compared to conventional concrete.